Broken pipes create mess for veterans home

When Deanne Tate got a phone call from the city on May Day, she didn't know it would end up costing her and the disabled veterans' home where she works nearly $9,000.

The mistake involved a careless driver, a tree stump, and a poorly marked gas line.

A driver ploughed into a tree in front of the Veterans First home on North Broadway, leaving behind a splintered mess of palm and frond.

On May 1, the Santa Ana Public Works Agency sent a crew to remove the mangled stump. The crew cleared the tree in the morning, and a representative called back in the afternoon to let Veterans First know they had ruptured the gas line that led to the home.

They told a staff member on duty to call a plumber to fix the problem. The city would reimburse them, said Tate, president and CEO of Veterans First.

The home then contracted Coast Plumbing, Heating and Air, Inc. to fix the pipe, which cost $8,500, according to a claim filed by Veterans First with the city. Another $280 was spent on two nights of hotel accommodations for six veterans. Tate said the move was disruptive for the entire home.

"Some of these guys have mental health issues and don't feel comfortable anywhere else," she said. "They're just trying to settle in from being homeless."

Veterans First filed a claim against the city for $8,800 on May 9, but it has yet to receive a check.

It typically takes 30-60 days for the city to investigate a claim, depending on the allegations, said Briza Morales, a senior technician with the city's Risk Management Division. If the investigation finds the city to be at fault, any settlement above $5,000 would still have to be approved by the City Council.

Tate said she had trouble paying rent in June because of the unplanned cost of replacing the gas line. Tate said her landlord – the John Henry Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people affected by schizophrenia – has been understanding. But that has not put her at ease.

"It's a domino effect," she said. "If we don't pay our rent then they'll have trouble paying their rent."

The city says the maintenance crew accidently broke the pipe because it was not where gas lines typically lay. Normally, a gas line runs perpendicularly from the main gas line on the street back to the home. The line at Veterans First came in at an angle, said City Engineer William Galvez.

"Our crews assumed the lateral connection went straight in," said Galvez, adding that the city is "at least partially liable for the payment."

Galvez said the city is now investigating the job that was performed by Coast Plumbing to determine whether they will pay for the entire cost of replacement, versus what it would have cost to simply repair the line.

"A crew spent two days out there replacing the line. That was just not necessary," Galvez said.

Galvez estimates that the gas line could have been repaired for $500 to $1,000, as opposed to the $8,500 Coast Plumbing charged to replace the entire pipe.

Reginald Fosberth IV, chancellor of Coast Plumbing, refused to speak about the job when the Register reached him by phone.

Tate said Veterans First has only paid $4,500 of the $8,500 owed to Coast Plumbing. She said she would not be writing another check for $4,000 until the veterans home receives payment from the city.

"We were sitting here minding our own business," she said. "Why should we pay for it?"